Clothes peg



May 9, 195i) H. A. FAUTEUX, JR

CLOTHES PEG Filed Aug. 22. 1946 mum a,

Inventor ha Attorney Patented May 9, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in a clothes peg and appertains particularly to one constructed of a grainless material such as a plastic or the like.

An object of the invention is to provide an attractive and novel clothes pin, peg or clamp of the so-called double pin type wherein the pin is suspended from the clothes line by a structure entirely independent of the machanism that releasably holds the clothes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a clothes peg having an improved line gripping hook that resists accidental displacement by tightening itself on the line more secm'ely in accordance with the need, will not slide longitudinally along the line and yet is readily removed therefrom.

A further object of the invention is to provide a, clothes peg having a line engaging member and an independent clothes gripping jaw on the same side of the peg operable simultaneously with applying the peg to or removing it from the line and without interfering therewith.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a transparent, translucent or coloured clothes peg of plastic or like material characterized by structural simplicity, uniformity, and durability; that is efiicient and convenient to use, and being capable of manufacture at reasonable cost is thereby rendered commercially desirable.

To the accomplishment of these and related objects as shall become apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as shall be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

The invention will be best understood and can be more clearly described when reference is had to the drawings forming a part of this disclosure, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective elevation of a possible embodiment of my invention, with the open position of the jaw shown in dotted outline; and

Figure 2 is an enlarged side elevation of a preferred form of line engaging hook for the upper end thereof.

The pin comprises a relatively straight bar 5 substantially square in cross section and near its rounded lower end 6 is indented with horizontal notches 1. A shallow arcuate pocket 8 extends transversely of the bar about one-third of the way up from the bottom to receive the body of the coil spring 9 whose divergent arms i0 and H extending from opposite ends of the coil body are terminally bent at right angles to seat in the transverse troughs l2 and [3 respectively in the back or outer sides of the main bar 5 and the small moveable clothes gripping jaw [4.

This smaller jaw [4 extends upwards beside the main bar 5 and is similarly provided with a shallow arcuate pocket 5 to partially nest the coil spring body 9. Furthermore, its lower end It is rounded on the inside and it is similarly indented with horizontal notches ll. About opposite the spring nesting pocket IS the upper end iii of the smaller jaw l4 slopes sharply away from the main bar 5 in an angularly disposed arm at about 45, its upper surface being ilat while the under surface, tapering toward it, finally rounds up as at l 9 to meet it.

The upper end 20, representing approximately one-quarter of the height of the bar 5 is formed like a shepherds crook, bein wider to partly overly the smaller or auxiliary jaw 14 and with a tapering passage 2| cut into and up the middle thereof, which, since the widened top 29 is not more than full twice the width of the main body portion 5, is accordingly inwardly offset. The top 22 of this hooked upper end is rounded. The tapering passage 2| has a flared mouth 23 formed by rounding away the inside of the free end of the hook and the opposite sides 24 of the passage are scalloped with progressively smaller waves or arcs While from the centre of the last circle a transverse slit 25 extends upwards to further increase the flexibility of the line engaging hook.

In the enlarged and slightly modified form of upper end or hook, shown in elevation in Figure 2, the inward offset of the passageway 26 as it causes the tapering of the upper end of the main bar or shank 21 is clearly seen. So too, the flared mouth 28 of the passage provided by rounding away the inside lower end 29 of the free arm 30 of the hook. The formation of the walls of the passage 26 consists of oppositely disposed pairs of arcs 3! that growsuccessivelysmaller toward the narrowing top and are connected by intermediate straight or parallel wall sections 32. There is also a transversely disposed, vertical slit 33 rising from the centre of the arcuate uppermost end of the passage, half way to the rounded top 34 of the shank or bar 21.

In applying this pin, with its hook facing the inside of the main 'bar, it will be apparent that the line enters the tapered passage through the flared mouth and by a downward pull by the user, or the weight of the suspended garment or item of laundry becomes wedged in the slot or passage at the appropriate scallops or arcs. In a wind, the additional tug on the pin causes the line to sink deeper into the cut or passage, the slightly resilient arms thereof aided by the top vertical slit spreading sufficiently for while the arms themselves can bend slightly throughout their length, and the more so because the offset passage narrows the main bar, considerable of the spreading is the result of the end slit. Furthermore the scalloped or alternate arced and straight sections of the confronting walls of the passageway allow the hook, with its modest resiliency to tighten on the line while yet the inherent-spring tension and the special configuration of the passageway walls not only resist accidental loosening of the hook from the line but positively-prevent any longitudinal shifting of the pin along the line as the sharp edges of the passageway at the'flat lateral sides of the hook bite into the line.

Attention is also directed particularly to the smaller or auxiliary jaw M, shown in open position in Figure l in dotted outline. Here'it will be noted that the angularly extending upper arm 18 hinges into vertical position and in contact with the inside of the main bar 5, against the action of the coil spring 9. It will also be seen that the rounded upper end ill, of its outer side that is engaged by the thumb r forefinger of the user, is spaced well below the flared entrance to the passageway 2 l by a distance exceeding the maximum width such flared entrance could open so that the clothes gripping jaws may be opened anytime while the clothes pin is being hooked on or removed from the line without the angular upper arm of the moveable jaw ofiering any interference to the line or vice versa. Thus the pin may hooked on a line at the same time a g-arment is being inserted in the jaws or the garment may be released from the clamping jaws simultaneously with the lifting of thewpin or the unhooking of it from the line.

Since the device is intended to be made in its entirety, save only for the stainless steel coil spring, from a grainless plastic, almost perfect uniformity is obtainable and it has thus been possible to closely determine the exact design to give the desired resiliency to the hooked upper end.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be manifest that a clothes peg is provided that williulfil all the necessary requirements of such a device but as many changes could be made in the above description and many apparently widely different embodiments of the'invention may be constructed withinthe scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended that all matters contained in the said accompanying'specification and drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitative or restrictive sense.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A clothes peg comprising a pair of jaws and a coil spring interposed between said jaws and on which they teeter, the divergent ends of said spring bending around opposite jaws to retain the assembly and normally hold said jaws closed; one of said jaws being relatively straight, substantiallysquare in cross-section and having an elongated shank topped with an integral, resilient .downturned hook, the vertical passageway in said hook offsetting slightly toward said shank, having :a flared mouth and tapering toward the top or inner end with a series of successively smaller scallops from the smallest and innermost of which a transverse vertical slit continues about half way to the top; and the other of said jaws engaging said first mentioned jaw on the same side as said hook is formed and partially underlying said hook, said second jaw 'havingan :arm

second jaw is applies, said hook having itsxfree .downturned arm separated fromthe main jaw shank by an offset and taperingpassageway.hav-

'ing a flared mouth and opposite sidewalls comprising alternate arcs or scallops and: straight sections, the .:arcs growing successively smaller anda slit from the uppermost are reach ng about half-way to the top of the hook, said tapered passageway providing relatively sharp corners with the fiat opposite sides of the substantially rectangular cross-section hook.

HENRI A. FAUTE X, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the -file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,729,930 Dills Oct. 1,1929 1,781,031 'Perebenda Nov. 11, 1930 1,783,578 Mandy Dec. 12, 1930 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 121,341 Australia Apr. 11, 1946 523,489 Great Britain July 16, 1940 

